BY MEGHA SHARMA

This article is an attempt to familiarize all Indians in Australia, to know about the past and present relations these two countries share. Australia is becoming one of the most favourite countries for emigrants. With a total number of 300 thousand (3 lakh), Indians formed 1 % of the population of Australia as per the population census of 2011. Thus to know more about the land becomes crucial for the aspiring students who want to study in Australia or people with plans to settle abroad.

the two countries on the world map

A small light on the migration history tells that during 1800-16, the colonizers took a small group of convict laborers. With later immigrants reaching a great number Australia banned any other migrations in 1901 with a restrictive act. The next period of migration was observed after 1966 with a large number of professionals migrating to the continent.

India is the second largest international student enrollment country in Australia with VET being the highest sector. Indian students seek most of their courses in management and commerce fields from here in their higher studies as well. Victoria hits the top in the list of states chosen by the students with 16,798 enrollments, followed by New South Wales (7,623), Queensland (6,429), Western Australia (2,499), South Australia (2,477), the ACT (320), the Northern Territory (96) and Tasmania (84).

New South Wales is also the land which has highest Indian origins’ population followed by Victoria, Sydney, Melbourne, Tasmania.

India’s Tricolour was hoisted at 34, Mugga way, Canberra, Australia. Indian Tricolour was officially hoisted at India House, the High Commissioner’s residence by Sir Raghunath Paranjpye at 0730 hrs IST (1200 hrs localtime at Canberra) on 15 Aug 1947, in the presence of the then Australian Minister for External Affairs Dr Herbert V Evatt, and over 300 guests.

Students are allowed to work 20 hours a week besides their studies. So there is a great scope for internships for those who want to be multi-taskers. However, working for more hours might lead to a cancellation of the student visa. Further, to choose a job is a risky as one has to work sometimes at odd hours, especially in Melbourne where crime rates are high and the accommodations fall short leading students live in poor low-rent areas. One must be careful about these things while opting for jobs here. For immigration detail, one can visit: http://www.immi.gov.au/skilled/general-skilled-migration/

India is the 21st largest exporter to Australia where as it imports a large amount of coal, gold, nickel, chickpeas, copper and wool.

Australia publishes about 15 Indian languages newspapers and magazines in Tamil, Hindi and Punjabi. Punjabi Express, an English-Punjabi news magazine in Australia with the highest number of readers.

“Australian Indian Radio (AIR) is a division of Brisbane Indian Times. The 24 hour online radio station will compliment Brisbane Indian Times by providing community news, interviews, upcoming events and Bollywood music. AIR completes our marketing and promotion package by including digital radio to our already thorough mix of print, website, email direct marketing and social media mix.” This is the official Indian radio in the continent. It is not only a radio channel but makes an Indian origin person instantly fall into the trance of his essence. However, there are other channels as well that work in the same line of catering to the needs of Indian audience.

the logo of the radio channel

With such a high population of Indians it becomes crucial that the land must cater to their religious needs as well. The country offers a democratic space to exercise one’s religious faiths. Herein, one not only finds some Indian communities arranging for events to gather up but there are famous Hindu temples as well which compliments the needs of the entire indigenous populous.

Every year Australian government celebrates “Australia India Business Council NSW Annual Address”. It highlights the potential of Business partnerships between the two countries. Minister Christopher Pyne talked about India and Australia future relations in the 2015 meet as: “Our relationship with India has been underdone over the years, but I don’t think that’s going to be the case now and into the future…Prime Minister Modi granted me a one-on-one meeting which I think speaks volumes about his attitude to the future relationship with Australia.” The following range of events were discussed by AIBC in the same event

some renowned business tycoons in the 2015 meet of the AIBC

Policy and business planning initiatives with major stakeholders including the Government of India, Government of Australia/State Governments, major government trade and investment bodies

Organising targeted business delegations to India.

Hosting Indian business delegations in Australia.

The Annual Australia India Address with very high profile speakers organised by each AIBC State office.

India Budget & Economic Update

Major business events with dignitaries from India and Australia.

Numerous business networking events for our members.

Business information and educational events for our members

With this one can definitely think over the idea of making Australia his /her home. Though initially problems were faced, but today both the countries stand together complimenting each other’s need and have strong socio-economic ties which lead to the strengthening of their relations.

(Megha is a student at the University Of Delhi. She is pursuing her masters in English and has also done her studies in German Language.) twitter: https://twitter.com/meghash06510344

Chutney has been able to resist the domination of calypso as the heartbeat of Carnival music. Wikimedia Commons

Chutney soca music is a crossover style of music incorporating Soca elements

The satire on Prime Minister Rowley’s mother has been arguably the most controversial song in the history of calypso, soca and chutney in the country.

It is the International Chutney Queen Competition to be held on February 2 at Guaracara Park in San Fernando, the second largest city in the country

By Dr Kumar Mahabir

When people get angry, they tend to speak their mind. Their emotions explode in words that they have been suppressing for some time. Psychologist Dr Jeffrey Huntsinger proved this theory after conducting experiments at Loyala University in Chicago in the USA in 2012.

Chutney Soca promoter George Singh really spoke his mind when he became upset on learning that his 2018 show was not funded by the National Lotteries Control Board (NLCB), an agency of the Afro-dominated Government in multi-ethnic Trinidad and Tobago (T&T).

At a news conference which he convened, Singh said that “the decision by the Government not to support chutney soca was an insult to the art form” (Express 05/02/17).

George Singh is a Chutney Soca promoter. Wikimedia Commons

Singh raged: “The Government, over the last three years, has consistently reduced funding to Chutney Soca Monarch and various members of the present administration have stated directly to me that chutney soca brings no value to Carnival” (emphasis added).

At the same news conference, Singh said that the Government had approved a budget of TT $146 million to the National Carnival Commission (NCC).

“I think this administration is hell-bent on seeing that it [chutney soca] has no place in Carnival. It is a slap in the face to Indo-Caribbean entertainment,” he said.

Singh’s outburst was a public exposé of what the Indo-Trinidadian (Indian) community had always known i.e. Indian culture (e.g. chutney, pichakaree ) is given marginal or no space in “national” and regional shows (e.g. CARIFESTA).

Sing’s rant is more revealing since he has admitted that he has “family ties” to Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi (Express 27/12/17).

Carnival in Trinidad has long been the cultural preservation of the Afro-Trinidadian (African) community. Wikimedia Commons

In all his anger, Singh was careful not to confirm what almost every Trinidadian suspected i.e. that Government initially denied him funding because he was allowing Massive to perform his hot chutney hit “Rowlee Mudda Count.”

The satire on Prime Minister Rowley’s mother has been arguably the most controversial song in the history of calypso, soca and chutney in the country.

I have always contended that chutney concerts, competitions, tents and fêtes must be recognised as part of Carnival and must be a given an equitable share of culture funds, media space and stage presence.

My argument is contained in detail in a chapter entitled “Chutney Music in Carnival:

Re-defining National Identity in Trinidad and Tobago” in the book Caribbean Dynamics:

Re-configuring Caribbean Culture (2015). The book is edited by Drs Beatrice Boufoy-Bastick Savrina Chinien and published by Ian Randle in Jamaica.

In the chapter, I discussed how Carnival in Trinidad has long been the cultural preservation of the Afro-Trinidadian (African) community. To this day, the major players and champions of calypso, soca, extempo, steelpan and masquerade, whether in Jouvert (“Jour Ouvert”) or Dimanche Gras, remain participants of African descent.

The emergence of chutney music and artists in 1995 – when Basdeo Panday was elected as the first Indian Prime Minister of T&T – was historic. In 1996, the rendition of Sonny Mann’s runaway hit “Lotay La” by DJs in soca parties, and by steel bands as their Road Mach tune during Carnival signalled the advent of chutney into the national urbanized festival/centre.

Chutney is being strongly influenced by calypso and soca rhythms and dance styles. Wikimedia Commons

In the following years, Indians continued to change the ontology of “the national festival” to the extent that Carnival has to be re-defined to include Chutney Monarch, Chutney Brass, Chutney Soca, Chutney Calypso, Chutney Glow and Chutney Mardi Gras.

For the first time this year, a new chutney show is being introduced to the Carnival calendar. It is the International Chutney Queen Competition to be held on February 2 at Guaracara Park in San Fernando, the second largest city in the country. The event is being hosted by Randy Glasgow Productions.

Chutney is being strongly influenced by calypso and soca rhythms and dance styles, but the genre is also used as an alternative to the Afro-Creole music formats. There have been two institutionalised chutney calypso theatres: “D” Massive Gosine Roving Calypso/Chutney Tent and the National Chutney Calypso Touring Tent. Now in its eighth year is the National Carnival Schools Intellectual Chutney Soca Monarch Competition held at the Queen’s Park Savannah in Port of Spain.

These chutney competitions cum fêtes allow Indians to gain a sense of inclusion in this grand “national” festival, although on the periphery of the capital city. These cultural incursions also allow Indians to actively participate in Carnival without losing their (sense of) ethnic identity.

Dr Kumar Mahabir is an anthropologist who has published 11 books

In 1998, cultural critic Burton Sankeralli wrote: “Indians are claiming Carnival space as Indians…. [and] … The flagship of this Indocentric presence and contestation for space is chutney …” With the re-creation of chutney, Indian artists are refusing to be subjected to silence and invisibility on mainstream radio, television, newspaper and the stage.

Chutney has been able to resist the domination of calypso as the heartbeat of Carnival music. The subversive spirit of calypso and Carnival is perhaps being re-incarnated in chutney.